Cael (Were Zoo Book 11), R. Butler [best management books of all time txt] 📗

Cael kissed her neck and groaned as he pulled from her depths. He dropped to the bed, taking her with him. She curled up in his arms, her skin tingling and her heart soaring.

“I love you,” he said, at the same time she said it to him.

They both laughed, their gazes locked together, and their hearts aligned.

“I do, sweetheart,” he said.

She lifted her head to brush her lips against his. “I do too. Mate.”

“Mate.”

They made love a second time, and then decided that it was too late to go to the apartment. She was happy to be in the house underground. It felt so safe and so much like home. Her whole life, home had been a relative term. She thought of her mom as home, that wherever her mom was...that was home. But now that she was with Cael, she knew home wasn’t just a person, because for sure Cael had her heart and was home for her, but it was a place too. A place of warmth and love and security.

They fell asleep tangled together, her last thought was how crazy in love with her soulmate she was, even though it had only been a few days. She didn’t understand it, but she knew it was real and true. She couldn’t wait to see what the future would bring.

Chapter Twelve

Cael woke slowly, aware that his sweetheart was sprawled across him like a warm blanket, her breath fanning across his chest. He’d honestly never been happier. Not only had she said yes to being his mate, but while they’d made love, she bit him, the part of her that was a bear wanting to mark her mate. His neck had throbbed under her blunt teeth, but she hadn’t been able to break the skin. It didn’t matter, though, he’d wear the bruise with pride for as long as it lasted with his fast healing.

And, even more amazing, was they’d declared their love for each other.

He’d never been in love before. He was glad that Novi, his soulmate, was the first female to ever have his heart.

Novi stirred and rubbed her cheek on his chest as she yawned.

He kissed the top of her head, and she tilted her face to his, giving him a sleepy smile. “Morning,” she said.

“Good morning. It’s still early, you don’t have to leave for work for about an hour.”

She made a face. “I’m not looking forward to giving my two weeks’ notice.”

“You’ve moved a lot, though. Haven’t you given your notice frequently in the past?”

“Yeah.” She sat up and stretched. “But it’s always hard when I like a place, and I do like the manager at the thrift store and looking through all the stuff people donate.”

She told him that she loved old books. But because they moved so much, she’d never been able to keep a lot of them. He decided he wanted to build her as many bookshelves as she needed to keep every book she wanted. Of course, they would be living in the apartment now, and probably for the conceivable future. He thought it was possible that her mother would never come to know the truth about shifters, and if that were the case, they wouldn’t be able to live under the park.

Which would be a bummer. He couldn’t see raising a family in the apartment. It was nice, but it was only two bedrooms.

She touched the corner of his mouth. “Are you okay?”

“Yeah.” He scrubbed a hand over his face and sat up. “I was just thinking about having a family.”

Her eyes crinkled as she smiled. “How many kids would you like?”

“I’m an only child, so I always wanted to have a couple of siblings.”

“Me too. I was always jealous of kids that had brothers and sisters. So maybe three kids?”

“That sounds perfect. And we can get started right away,” he said, wiggling his brows suggestively.

“We already did, remember?”

He did, of course. She wasn’t on birth control, but they’d decided to make love anyway despite that fact. They were soulmates, and although she was half human, the part of her that was a shifter was ready to move forward, and that meant babies. They’d talked about the fact she could be pregnant already after the second time they made love, and they’d decided that whenever she did get pregnant would be the right time for them.

She bent and kissed him. “Dibs on the shower.”

He laughed. “I could join you.”

“Nuh uh. I’ll be late to work if I see you all soapy and wet.”

“I’m that irresistible, huh?”

“One hundred percent.” She climbed from the bed and said, “I won’t be long.”

When the bathroom door was shut, Cael swung his legs around and grabbed his phone. He was going to drive Novi to work and then come back to the park and get to his duties. Then he’d pick her up when her day was finished and take her to her place so she could pack. He had no idea when she’d talk to her mom about moving in with him, but she promised she wasn’t worried about her mom’s approval.

He needed to tell his parents about his good news, and sent a text asking if they had time to video chat later that morning. He’d want to have them meet Novi via video chat later too.

They had just enough time to get to her work by the time they were both ready and walked to the employee lot where the park’s SUVs were.

“You sure you don’t mind driving me back and forth?” she asked as he opened the door to one of the unmarked SUVs for her.

“I don’t mind, I promise.” He shut her door and hurried around to his side, sliding behind